A Boy Needs His Mother's Side
by musicmidnight
Summary: In which Nico finds himself missing his mum, and decides to take action. Song-fic to Second & Sebring by Of Mice & Men. Yes, I did put some Thalico in it as well. Hope you enjoy.


_I believe it's time for me to be famous, and out of place._

Nico sat on his bed in his lonely apartment, strumming his guitar and waiting for the rest of his "band" to arrive. A quick glance at the picture on his dresser sent him on his way to tears. But he held them in.

Standing up, Nico grabbed the picture frame and examined it closely. It was a picture of his mom, the only one known in existence, which he stole from Hades so long ago. He dare not tell his father. Too risky.

_I believe it's time for me to move forward, when I break through._

Why is it so hard to move forward after you lost someone you love? Because they forever left an impact on you. No, this isn't like losing a girlfriend that you loved so dearly. You can move on from exes; they can be replaced. This is losing a blood mother. No one can compare to the woman that birthed you.

_This time I'll make you proud to see me over, come on daylight._

What exactly has Nico done to please his mom? He convinced his dad to help defeat Kronos. What else? That's it. Nico felt like a failure compared to Percy. Percy's done just about everything. He topped Theseus and Perseus by killing both the Minotaur and Medusa. He defeated Kronos. Saved Camp Half-Blood. Helped bring peace to both the Greek and Roman camps. Saviour of Olympus. Next to Percy, Nico felt like a sore loser.

_Proud of who you raised. Your shelter, your peacefulness. So this time I'll make you proud._

"Nico?"

Thalia and Percy stood in the doorway, Thalia holding her bass and drumsticks sticking out of Percy's back pocket. "Are you okay?" Percy asked.

Nico tucked the photo away in his pocket. "I'm fine. Thanks for coming."

He stood up and gave his girlfriend a hug, and clapped his best friend on the back. "Ready to do this?"

"Definitely." They both replied in unison.

"Well, let's get this show on the road."

They stalked over to Nico's garage, jumping in his car; Nico driving, Thalia up front and Percy sprawled out in the back seat.

"This is so exciting," Thalia claimed. "Our first concert. This is gonna be awesome."

Nico stayed silent as he popped a CD in.

_Proud of who you raised up. You know that I will always be there 'til the end_.

When they arrived at the venue, they snuck in backstage and started hyping themselves up. "Okay. How are we gonna do this?" Percy asked.

"I have a plan!" Thalia said. "They do this all the time at concerts. It's pitch black, right? And the only thing they can see is the white smoke coming out of the smoke machines, and then the bassist - in this case, me - will come out and play a straight note on his base that's so low it's barely audible, but everyone can hear it, and then the stage lights come on and illuminates the whole fucking room and the singer will introduce the whole band and confetti will fly everywhere and-"

"Shut up," Percy complained, "giving me a headache."

"Sorry! But how kickass would that be if we could pull that off! Right, Nico?" Thalia nudged Nico's chest.

"Uhh...sure. But this isn't any Pierce The Veil show, we don't have confetti." He pointed out.

"Damnit! Well, we can stage dive. I've always wanted to do that. Please?" Thalia put on her best puppy dog face. But with electricity sparking your eyes, it was kinda hard to look harmless.

Nico seemed to love it, though. "That...actually sounds really cool."

"Yes!" She yelled.

The stage manager came from behind the curtain. "You guys are on in one minute." He dimmed the arena lights. The smoke machines started.

Adjusting her bass, Thalia walked out on stage and started playing a low G. Everyone's voice grew louder. Nico and Percy came on the stage.

Heart racing, eyes wandering, Nico introduced the band.

They started their first song.

_Come back so I can say thank you for this. Home cooked meals, and a place to rest._

Nico felt the rush of adrenaline. He felt his heart rate speed up, and he relished the amazing thought of being on stage with the people he loved on both of his sides, the crowd going wild. He hoped his mother saw what he was doing.

_My troubled head when you're away, I passed the test, I've earned an A._

He absent-mindedly strummed his guitar, hitting the right notes without even thinking what he was doing.

_Not just in school, but in life. You'll always be right by my side. _

_'Can you see me, mother? Are you proud of me? Am I making you smile?'_ he thought.

_To help me show hope to all, that are lost and sick in this dying world. I'll use the love you left behind. I'll change their minds, I'll change their minds._

Nico knew that this is what he loved to do. He knew Percy enjoyed playing the drums in his small clique, and he knew Thalia loved bass all the same. This is what they were made for.

_I hope, I hope you smile, when you look down on me. I hope you smile._

_'Are you smiling yet?'_

_This can't, we won't know. I hope that I make you proud._

They all worked over their instruments like experts. Thalia and Nico made it a habit to play their strings back to back, leaning on each other.

_This is not what it is, only baby scars. I need your love like a boy needs his mother's side._

Percy threw his sticks into the crowd. They each stood at the edge of the stage, looking down at their surprisingly big group of admirers. They could feel the heat spring to their cheeks. Thalia was first to jump in.

_This is not what is is, only baby scars. I need your love like a boy needs his mother's side._

Before Nico knew it, Percy had jumped in, too. It was his turn now. Nico felt himself fall into the fans' gentle grip.

So, who knew that the small local concert was just a spark to something huge? Who knew that they would be touring the globe, meeting people from different continents? Who knew that Nico would marry Thalia three months before they got called to tour Asia, only to have it postponed because Thalia became pregnant?

_This is not what it is..._

The fates clearly had plans for the three, and it seemed they favored the powerful demigods. Never in their lives would they think that they'd do this someday.

_...Only baby scars._

Nico didn't know he'd see his mom again. He didn't know that she saw the whole thing and that she couldn't have been more proud. Nico didn't know that Hades was fatherly enough to reach into the depths of death and conjure a safe figure of Maria's soul.

_I need your love..._

"I love you, Mom."

_...Like a boy needs his mother's side._

* * *

**Hey, loves. (: Don't hate me. I know it's not that good, but damn I love this song. It's about Austin losing his mother, and it made me think of Nico without his mom. I thought I'd make something out of it. Don't hate me if you don't like it Dx! Please send me some feedback, I would love it...and you TOTALLY SAW THALICO IN THIS COMING, RIGHT? I MEAN, COME ON. THALIA AND NICO WILL PROBABLY BE TOGETHER IN EVERY FICTION I WRITE WITH THEM BECAUSE I SHIP THEM SO HARD. OKAY. OK. **

**This is not what it is, only baby scars. I need your love like a boy needs his mother's side.**

**I find myself singing that every day. **

**Bye gaiz! I love each and every one of you.**


End file.
